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Celebration Sandwiches

Do you ever find yourself in a situation that calls for a little celebration? Like, more than a victory dance but less than a big night out? When you find yourself in a situation that calls for a little celebration, it is difficult to know what to do to commemorate the event without going overboard or ending up feeling underwhelmed.

I recently had a little victory that prompted me to call one of my friends as I drove home from work and ask, “want to have a little celebration tonight?”

“Like a champagne celebration?”

“No, like a prosecco celebration.”

I called Kyle and asked him the same thing, and he responded:

“Like a special dinner out?”

“No, like a special dinner in.”

As I drove to the grocery store and pondered what I wanted to do for my impromptu “woo-hoo!” party… celebration sandwiches were born. See, this little hurrah didn’t call for something as simple as paninis, nor did it call for something as elaborate as a gourmet meal. But gourmet paninis? Oh yes.

I also picked up a large bottle of one of my favorite celebration beverages, Duvel.

I’ll take a nice Belgian beer over a sparkling wine any day of the week. Even the special days.

I decided that in lieu of a nice dinner out, I would make a fancy feeling meal at home. Something about these tiny delicious sandwiches makes me feel like I’m celebrating. Perhaps it is the time invested in their careful assembly. Maybe it is the fact that miniature food just screams “party!” to me.

I assembled the mini sandwiches and then pressed them with my electric grill/press. It’s like a George Foreman grill but its actually made by Hamilton Beach and I love it. The first sandwich was somewhat holiday inspired and included tofurky slices, provolone cheese, mayo, and cranberry relish.

I made the second sandwich with sliced Roma tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, baby spinach, and homemade pesto on Italian bread.

The final sandwich was inspired by one on the menu at Commercial Taphouse and it featured the unexpectedly delicious combination of pineapple and brie, with a touch of teriyaki sauce and a sprinkle of black pepper, pressed between two slices of herb wheat bread from Montana Gold.

We toasted to the miniature victory with a plate of miniature sandwiches and a few (not so miniature) beers. Call me crazy for cooking dinner for my friends as part of my own celebration, but I thought the festivities were perfect in every way and I could not have been happier.